- Release Date: 5th September 2013
- Developer: Japan Studio
- Publisher: Sony
- Platform Played: PS4
- Platforms Available: PS3
I randomly picked this because it was a stream-only PS Now game to play for a bit while another game downloaded overnight. I was massively impressed with it. It’s a very solid 2D platformer (one of the better ones I’ve played) which introduces it’s simple but effective mechanics throughout the game. The graphics are very charming in a way similar to Yoshi’s Woolly World.
It’s set in a Japanese puppet theatre, but it also styled a lot like a British pantomime. Lots of fun humour, and actors breaking the fourth wall, sometimes complaining about the story or other “actors”. It feels like an unprofessional production, but is handled in a great way.
Health is done in the form of “heads”, as the main character, Kutaro, lost theirs at the beginning of the story and has to use other puppet heads. You can hold three at a time. They all have cute animations and can be used to unlock a secret somewhere or a bonus area, and some help out with bosses. When you get hit, the current head falls off – but you still have time to chase it to get it back.
Levels feel very varied, with some different styles. The game focuses on each new ability as you get them before mixing them with previous ones. I quite like the “spiral” stages where you work upwards throughout the tower, with the stage “turning” as you progress (because it’s a backdrop, the camera itself doesn’t actually move, just the stage – there’s lots of lovely transitions).
Overall, this is a massively overlooked platformer that ended up being released a couple of months before the PS4. It’s a shame that a PS3 or PS Now are the only ways to play it, it really should have been re-released on PS4 at some point.
Fave
